The Diary
by Chicken Whisper
Summary: Marilla delves into Anne's past with the help of a diary. Harry Potter similarities( but STRICTLY AOGG) . (I do not shy away from Anne's abuse so timid viewers, beware.)


**A/N: I just watched one of my childhood favourites: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. During the movie this formed in my head. And I have always felt that Marilla should know what happened in Anne's secretive past. Enjoy!**

* * *

Marilla went into Anne's room to get out her undergarments so she could measure them and make a new pair.

Opening Anne's top dresser drawer she found them. Underneath the undergarments there was a leather bound diary of some sort.

Marilla knew she shouldn't but she took it out and opened it. Immediately it began to glow and she was about to scream but the room had changed.

She was standing in a cramped dirty kitchen. "Where am I?" She said out loud.

A series of footsteps thudded down the stairs and she saw a little redheaded Anne. She looked no older than three or four.

Ive always wondered what she looked like as a baby, Marilla thought.

Then came a loud ruckus and three older children ran down the stairs knocking Anne over on her face.

Marilla ran over to help her up and but it was as if she was invisible. It was as if the people were ignoring her.

Soon realising that this was a memory, Marilla stood up and observed.

"Come on you lazy good for nothing," a woman dragged the small girl outside by her ear, digging her nails into it making it bleed, and Anne cry.

Marilla had seen scars on Anne's ear, and when asked about it she replied that it was chicken pox scars. Marilla never believed her. But now she wished that it was chicken pox.

"I'm going to show you how to do laundry." The unpleasant woman said in a strict voice.

Anne nodded her head.

"Say yes ma'am!" And the woman struck Anne in the face.

"Yes, Mrs. Thomas," Anne sniffled

* * *

The scene faded and Marilla was standing on the front porch.

She was shaken by what she had seen and now she was worried about what was to come.

A slightly older Anne burst through the door pushed by Mrs. Thomas

"Happy birthday to you," she mocked and tossed her into the mud.

Anne landed on her stomach and didn't move, the wind knocked out of her.

Next a drunk man came out the door

He took off his belt and whipped Anne's back and bottom.

"Happy sixth birthday to you," he sneered, slurring his words a bit, "this is what happens when you think you can sleep in because it's your special day. Well, I got news for ya. No one ever gets a special day, it's just the way life is- it's a pile of shit."

Marilla wanted to cover her ears at the sound of Anne's screams as the whipping continued.

He finished and staggered away into the woods.

Marilla ran up and she knelt down to survey the damage, not that she could do anything. There was no blood but she could feel heat coming off of Anne's body.

Anne wiped her tears with the back of her hand and walked back inside.

* * *

The scene changed and Marilla was standing in the same kitchen.

"Pack your things in this. You're going to the orphanage," Mrs Hammond muttered, tossing a dingy carpet bag at Anne.

"Yes ma'am." Anne said in a hollow tone.

"There's no need for ya now that Mr Thomas is dead. I'm going to the States"

They were now standing in a office and Anne was standing in front of a man and a woman; the man had a walking stick and he limped. The woman had a decided scowl on her face.

"Anne Shirley is now in your custody. Get her out of my sight," the matron said while she sipped her teacup.

The air smelled suspiciously of gin and Marilla was quick to realise that the matron wasn't drinking tea.

"Let's go girl," the man grabbed the redhead by her shoulder.

Marilla couldn't help but notice how small Anne looked under his talon-like hold.

* * *

Room faded and Marilla was now standing in a different kitchen. There were children all over the place.

She recalled Anne saying how the Hammonds had eight children, six of them being sets of twins. This must be them.

A much older Anne clamoured down the stairs carrying two screaming identical babies.

She set the down in high chairs and gave them some bread to suck on.

Marilla was dismayed to see a bruise on Anne's right cheek.

Mr Hammond limped down the stairs and sat down, his walking stick thudding on the pine floor.

"I hope you learned your lesson from last night," he said gruffly.

"Yessir. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again," Anne squeaked.

He grunted and ate the eggs Anne put before him.

"These are burned!" He threw the plate at Anne and it smashed against the side of her face. Luckily no shards had gotten in her skin.

"Caught up in your goddamn daydreams again eh?"

He stomped over and hit her in the side with his walking stick.

Anne cried out and sank to the floor.

"What are you crying about? You could be like me! Born with a lame leg!" He shouted, angrily he took his lunch Anne had packed and left for work.

Anne sniffled but she got up and finished her chores.

Mrs. Hammond strode down the stairs and noticed some blood on Anne's temple.

"What did he do to ya this time?"

"He threw his plate at me, ma'am."

She sighed and told Anne to sit in a chair. Roughly she pressed a cloth to it making Anne wince.

"Stop acting like I'm hurting you, girl. Get this straight, Mr Hammond ain't a bad man. He is just angry that his one leg is shorter than the other. He'll never get a good paying job if he can't use both his feet," She said gruffly.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Once again the room faded to the next day.

Marilla watched as Mrs Hammond slapped Anne again for forgetting to give Mr Hammond his lunch.

It seemed that all these people knew was to hit and yell.

"Quickly, go get it to him!"

Marilla followed Anne through the woods until she came to a train station.

Before Anne was able to give it to him Marilla saw that he was yelling at a man.

In the heat of the argument he accidentally dropped his walking stick, and tripping on his uneven legs he fell down.

Letting out a short shout he gripped his chest and then lay there motionless.

Marilla watched Anne run forward and try to wake him up.

"He's gone, missy," one of the workers said to her.

"Looks like he had a heart attack," someone else said.

"Naw, it was his temper that did it," another declared.

* * *

"You're taking her back and that's final," Mrs. Hammond told the matron, turning on her heel and leaving.

Marilla was in the same orphanage office watching Anne.

She watched Anne all day get into fights with the other girls. Hitting them if they called her names, shoving them if they tried anything against her.

That night Marilla watched the girls plot against Anne.

* * *

Now it was daytime again and Anne was being held down by some of the girls. She tried to kick and bite them but there were three girls holding her and she wasn't strong enough.

They took her only book and threw it into the fire.

"Nooo!" Anne screamed but she couldn't break free.

The girls eventually let her go and Anne ran away but not before she gave some of them black eyes.

"I have a letter here saying that a brother and sister would like a girl of around 12 or 13. I have decided you shall go," the matron said later that evening, still sipping her "tea."

Anne's face light up and she walked out with a smile on her face.

* * *

Finally the room faded again and Marilla was standing back in Anne's room the diary still open in her hands.

"Marilla I'm home!" Anne called from downstairs.

Not hearing a response she ran up to her room only to stop short when she saw Marilla hold her her diary in tears.

Marilla looked at her with watery eyes.

"Anne I-"

"You had no right," Anne said in a low voice, "that is my private property. You had no right to look at it."

Anne grabbed it from Marilla's hands and stuffed it back into the drawer. In her anger she smacked Marilla's cheek.

Marilla was taken aback and her hand instantly went to the stinging red spot that was forming. Anne was facing away from her, her hands resting on the dresser. Despite feeling like she should correct Anne, Marilla knew she was in the wrong.

Looking at Anne from behind she couldn't help but notice how the child's shoulders sagged in defeat. Instead of yelling at her Marilla apologised.

"Anne I am very sorry. There was no reason I should've opened it."

"You're right about that."

"I shouldn't have pried. I hope you can forgive me."

Anne slowly turned around her eyes on the floor.

Marilla knelt down to Anne's height.

"Are you in any pain?" She said quietly.

"From the punishments? Only a headache now and then. I see that it showed you some of my punishments. That diary shows you the deepest desire that you want to know about the owner, even if you don't know yourself."

Suddenly Marilla wrapped her arms around Anne and sat on the bed with the child in her arms.

"You understand that you're safe here. That Matthew and I will never hurt you, yes?" Marilla pressed Anne's body closer to her and looked down deep into Anne's green eyes that were starting to fill with tears.

"I just don't understand why I had to be the one child to become an orphan, and live with awful families," Anne cried into Marilla's blouse.

The years of pain and held back tears suddenly came out like a tsunami with a vengeance. Anne never knew why in this moment she cried her heart out. Maybe it was Marilla's comforting heartbeat and warmth. Or maybe it was that she never had the chance to cry.

Marilla just rocked Anne back and forth, a few tears trickling down her aged cheeks.

"Shhh, you are safe. Mr. Hammond won't hurt you and neither will anybody else."

Normally Anne was very independent and high strung, but in this moment she felt vulnerable. She was ashamed that she was acting like a baby that was all cradled up in it's mother's arms. Pushing against Marilla's stomach she tried to get herself away from her. It didn't work, Marilla held her in a firm grasp.

She got a good look at Marilla's face once she had calmed down a bit.

"I'm sorry, that looks painful," Anne's hand reached up and cupped the woman's red cheek.

Marilla winced and she gently took Anne's hand off of it.

"It's nothing. It doesn't compare to what happened to you."

"Can you ever forgive me?" Anne stared up into Marilla's light blue eyes.

Marilla gave her a squeeze.

"I already have."

* * *

**I have decided to write Mr Hammond like this because i feel like he has alot of unexplained anger, besides being a drunk.**


End file.
